Liam Payne’s sister, Ruth Gibbins, has shared a devastating tribute following the One Direction star’s death at the age of 31.
Taking to Instagram this afternoon, Ruth, who is one of two older siblings of Payne’s, along with Nicola, said she ‘doesn’t understand’ where her brother has gone.
She reflected on her brother’s superstardom after he was launched to fame in 2010, having auditioned for The X Factor and put into a band alongside Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles.
‘I don’t believe this is happening. Many times I have poured my heart out publicly with pride about Liam but never much about life as his sister,’ she began.
‘Liam is my best friend. No one could ever make me laugh as much as him, doing his impressions always had me creasing and he loved seeing how much of a laugh he could get.
‘He moved out when he was 17 to chase his dreams. It’s this that forced me to finally pass my driving test during The X Factor live show weeks because I couldn’t stand the thought of not being able to get to him.
‘I would regularly drive to have tea with him after I finished work, just to sit around. One month the hotel was right by a Wagamama and I swear he had it morning, noon and night!’
Ruth continued by reminiscing on how much she ‘loved picking him up from work when it all started, especially after the concerts.’
She recalled how he would play new songs to her, adding: ‘Liam loved 1D, he loved his brothers and we talked about it so much.
‘He would just play song after song that had been recorded but never used and we’d sit having a mini 1D concert.’
Of her relationship with her brother, she said ‘Liam knew he could call [her] anytime’ and that she ‘would always fetch him if he needed to just come home.’
Ruth said he would always tell her that he loved her at the end of phone calls and said how clear it was he had ‘music in his veins’ and was born for stardom at a young age.
Also in her gut-wrenching tribute, she recalled writing notes on her phone to remember things to tell him the next time she saw him.
Addressing him directly, she penned: ‘Liam, my brain is struggling to catch up with what’s happening and I don’t understand where you’ve gone.
‘I just want to drive to your house and walk into music blasting and find you sat there writing a song, or walk into your art phases and sit with you while you draw or craft.’
Ruth added that she loved his ‘kindness’ and she was ‘proud to call [him] her brother’.
Her loving tribute concluded: ‘I don’t feel this world was good enough or kind to you, and quite often over the last few years, you’ve had to try really hard to overcome all that was being aimed at you.
‘You just wanted to be loved and to make people happy with your music. You never believed you were good enough, I hope you can see this outpouring of love that you never received in your time.
‘Thank you for changing my life, thank you for the incredible memories, thank you for being the best brother and friend I’ll ever have!’
Ruth vowed to ‘take care of Bear’ and that he will ‘always know how incredible his dad is and how much [he] idolised him’.
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t save you,’ Ruth signed off in a devastating admission, with her late brother having spoken openly about his addiction and mental health struggles in recent years.
‘One last time I need you to know, I’m here if you need anything. I’d drive to the end of the universe to bring you back.’
Ruth’s tribute was accompanied by a series of photos, including snaps of her alongside Payne on her wedding day, backstage at shows, and of him playing with her children.
Taking to the comments, fans quickly wrapped their arms around her.
Sandy Beales, who played bass for One Direction for several years, commented: ‘So sorry for your loss, what an amazing person he was. Sending huge love to you and the rest of your family, we all stand with you at this time!’
Ruth’s social media post comes as her father, Geoff Payne, organises his son’s repatriation, as he died at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The father-of-three attended a vigil outside the Casa Sur Hotel where the British star fell from a third-floor balcony.
An initial autopsy report concluded that the Strip That Down hitmaker died of multiple traumas and ‘internal and external haemorrhage’.
Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 16 said it was investigating the incident as an ‘inconclusive death’.
Messages of condolences for Payne’s family continue to flood social media, alongside fond memories of him from fans who grew up with the boyband.
In their own joint statement, his bandmates, who went on hiatus at the end of 2015, expressed their sorrow, writing they will ‘miss him terribly’.